The conventional method of fighting and suppressing a fire in a building is with built-in sprinkler systems and/or fire department personnel. Usually fire fighting equipment and men are simply rushed to a building in response to a fire alarm. Upon arrival at a fire, the firemen frequently encounter flames and smoke that have advanced upwardly within a structure causing large volumes of heated air, smoke and flames to travel to an upper area of the building. Accordingly, it is often necessary to quench the upper areas with water or other fire suppressant. However, it is dangerous to employ a fireman on a ladder in close proximity to smoke and flames in order to direct water at strategic areas to extinguish the flames.
Various approaches have been taken to mount hoses in or through walls of buildings and for applying a fire suppressant to fire in upper areas of a structure. For example, a.U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,252 of Wilburn et al., discloses an apparatus for fighting fires within storage tanks. As disclosed, the apparatus includes a frame moveably coupled to the lip of a storage tank. The frame includes rotatable members by which the frame may be moved around the lip of the tank. Attached to the frame is a holding device adapted to hold a fire extinguisher nozzle on the interior of the storage tank to direct fire extinguishing agents down the inside face of the storage tank. The apparatus may include a fire detector to detect the presence and location of the fire, propulsion means to automatically move the apparatus around the storage tank to a location adjacent to the fire source and a storage tank for restoring fire suppressant agents to be used in extinguishing the fire.
Portable fire shields for protection of firemen are also known. For example a U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,017 of Walker discloses a portable fire shield and fire hose support which can be collapsed for storage and rapidly erected. The fire shield is especially useful with untrained personnel in extinguishing high temperature gas and oil fires as sometimes occur in factories, shops, garages and the like.
Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential market for an improved fire fighting tool in accordance with the present invention. There should be a need and a commercial market for such tools because they facilitate extinguishing fires in structures without the need to enter the structure. Further, such tools allow firemen to apply water from an upper story window or vent and after mounting the tool leave the immediate area. In addition, the tool includes a fire and heat shield for protecting a fireman during the installation of the tool. In addition to the above, the tools in accordance with the present invention are relatively light in weight, durable and easily installed through a window in the structure.